Nintendo Switch to join PlayStation and Xbox with online fee

Looks like Nintendo will join PlayStation and Xbox with requiring players to pay for a service so they can play online with friends on certain games. Currently, there are only a handful of games that will require this service including Splatoon 2, ARMS, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis Aces, and Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido. But the list will most likely increase as time goes by, and like PlayStation and Xbox, online multiplayer games will require the service.

Now, this service won’t start until September of this year. Nintendo is offering 2 plans: a family plan and an individual plan. The individual plan has three tiers of pricing: $3.99/month, $7.99/3months, and $19.99/annually.

The family plan is set to $34.99/annually, and up to 7 people can be on the family plan. So you and six of your friends can get together on this plan and save money. That is if you have six friends and they have Nintendo Switch.

It is not all bad though. Nintendo will give you 20 classic games for signing up for the service. Right now they have Soccer, Balloon Fight, Tennis, Ice Climber, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. 3 with more to be announced later. On the website, it says more will be added regularly, so like the other two consoles, a monthly set of free games may come.

Other perks included in this service are online data backup, enhanced smartphone app, and discounts and offers for its members.